Gionee Elife S5.5

Review in pictures

The world’s slimmest smartphone• Just 5.5mm thick, this device is

the slimmest smartphone in the world

• Features an impressive set of hardware specifications along with loaded features as well

• Available in black, white and gold, and a few coloured variants

• Based on glass sandwich design that adds a touch of class and imparts a premium feel to the device

Glass and metal play together• Glass on both front and back

increases appeal and adds to looks

• Metal frame improves look and feel, and adds durability to the device as well

• The top of the device houses the USB port while the audio connector has been pushed to the bottom of the device

• 5.5mm overall thickness and rounded edges makes its comfortable to use and hold

• Protective flip cover provided in the box

5-inch brilliance in visuals• The 5-inch display offers a

resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 pixels

• High-quality display offers close to 178-degree viewing angles and vibrant colour tones

• Visuals look powerful and colour saturation, though a bit higher than normal, adds to visual quality

• Ample brightness, good enough to make the display legible even under bright light

Good camera but afraid of the dark• 13-megapixel sensor with

autofocus offered at the back, supplemented with an LED flash

• 5-megapixel fixed-focus camera on the front

• Rear camera offers full HD video recording

• Offers brilliant image capture in daylight, while night shots should be avoided if not used with the flash

Not so Amigo-ish UI • Still based on older Android

Jelly Bean 4.2, though the company promises KitKat upgrade in the coming days

• User interface is easy to learn, but does not have support for Android widgets

• Preloaded games are there, but can be easily uninstalled

• The Amigo UI 2.0 is the same as the one on the Gionee E7, but is much more optimised and fluid in comparison

Octa-core goodness under the hood

• Powered with a true Octa-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz.

• 2GB RAM offers optimum performance

• Processor can use all eight cores simultaneously to boost performance

• Smooth performance even while multitasking

• Graphics-intensive games run easily and quite well

A battery that makes it possible

• Non user-replaceable 2,300mAh lithium-polymer battery

• Lasts more than a day easily with average usage with data enabled

• Can easily last for more than one day for light users

• Very impressive power management by CPU drains negligible amount of battery in standby mode

Specs at a glance• 5-inch, 1,080 x 1,920 pixel

resolution display

• 13-megapixel AF camera, 5-megapixel, FF front camera

• 1.7GHz, true octa-core MediaTek processor

• 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, USB OTG

• 3G, supports single-SIM only

• 2,300mAh battery

• Bluetooth 4.0, GPS

• 5.5mm overall thickness

-• Amigo UI on the

dated Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system

• Camera not so useful in night mode

Pros and cons

+• Brilliant display• Top-notch build

quality• Fast performance• Stylish and

appealing looks• Impressive

hardware specifications

Pricing and verdict

“Gionee as a brand has always amazed smartphone buyers in India by offering impressive features along with good value for money. Despite being the slimmest smartphone around, the Elife S5.5 still features a

powerful set of hardware specifications. The glass rear is scratch-prone and could be a tad fragile, but the S5.5 gets full marks for looks. It’s

quite capable otherwise too. Definitely worth a look.”

Rs 23,999 is what you will have to

pay for buying the world’s slimmest

smartphone